Select and track a subject with Object Mask

Applies to 0.11Updated 25 Oct 20261 min read

Click the subject with the Object Mask tool, press Track, then choose a use such as Blur the Background.

1. Select the Object Mask tool (in the Tools panel, after the Pen) and click the subject in the Program Monitor.
2. Press Track and let the tracking window finish. Choose Faster or Better Quality.
3. Choose a use, for example Blur the Background.
4. Fine-tune the edge with Mask Expansion, or subtract stray areas with the Lasso.

Uses for the track

Use Track For offers Keep in Frame, Pin Graphic, Blur, Mosaic, Spotlight, Cut Out, Color the Subject, Color the Background and Blur the Background.

To limit any effect to the subject, use Effect Controls › Mask › Subject. Add Invert to apply it to everything else.

When the subject leaves the shot

Tracking picks the subject up again after it is lost. Where the Subject Is Lost sets what happens meanwhile: hold its last place, hide, or show the whole clip.

Subject detection runs on your Mac and is automatic, so complex scenes may need a manual correction with the Lasso.

Prefer to watch? See Mask and track a subject.